Triathlon - Transition Area Marathon?

I watched this video a few times but have never made it past the first couple of minutes, I've tried calling my friend who raced in it but does anyone see anything wrong in this video under the 1 minute mark?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNNH4ncFlPE

Like What?

like everyone running in bare feet, its gotta be from the water to the transition area but it looks like a good ways and people have there wetsuits half off.
I wouldn't like running a couple hundred feet barefooted to then slap socks on and cycling shoes but maybe its just me?

And they all seemed to be running their bikes way way to far...

My question is why do organizers set up races with such long distances between the swim and the transition area? I haven't done a race yet where the transition area wasn't directly next to the lake or whatever.

Does that play a factor into whether or not you do an event? Could it be a matter of the event out-growing the location? How common are long runs to the transition area from the swim?

That run did not look like it was too far. A couple hundred feet is very little really, I don't mind. In fact, i like the time to pull my wetsuit down, get settled, and think about my transition. Also, everyone runs with their wetsuits half off even if the transition area is right next to the swim. The shortest run I have ever had was probably about 150 yards. A regular transition area is about as long.

Why do they do it? because they have too, Santa Cruz Tri has a few hundred yard run, because you get off on the sand and have to get to the transition area which is up a small hill. In some races they need to find a parking lot or green big enough to put 2000 bikes.

Some, like Alcatraz, have long runs. Alcatraz has a 1.5 mile run to transition, and there you get a sort of swim to run transition.

i wouldn't dig having sand all over my feet either, I've thought about that my last Tri on my schedule is on the beach here I might just leave a bottle of water by my bike and clean them off real quick.

Alcatraz has a 1.5 mile run to transition- holy cow. Thats the Ironman Event isnt it?

Yeah, I agree with sirious94. One reason is most, at least the ones I've done, are on the ocean where you have to get over sand and up to solid ground or on a lake where there's a natural earth bank to deal with. The area needs to be large, especially for the bigger events, and that usually means some distance from the lake or river edge.

I've been to several tri's (girlfriend raced while I did the du) with long runs between the swim and the transition area... including one about 200 yards with a large hill out of the lake up to the parking lot where the transition area was located...

like others have said... the transition area must be located where there is enough room for all racers...

fyi... the 200 yard uphill run mentioned above did have several kiddie pools after the sandy beach to wash off feet, and after the kiddie pools to the entrance of the transition area had carpet since the run was through a small wooded section...

No Alcatraz is not an Ironman, it's a modified olympic. 1.5 mi swim 18 mi bike 8 mi run... so the Andy Potts special.

I just read a special about him the other day in Tri magazine- he's like a robot, he never seems to stop